Kona's mother, father and brother, as well as the five other chimps were allowed to spend time with him after he died, and are doing well, the zoo said.

"We'll keep a close eye on them, but animals are very resilient about loss, so we don't expect any issues," the zoo said in a prepared statement. "Our zookeepers, however, are incredibly close to the animals they serve, and they're shattered. We know you in our community also have loved Kona since he was born, and that you share our grief."

The chimps lost another member in February when Bon Bon, the zoo's oldest resident and matriarch of the troop, died at 57.

Claire Cardona, Breaking News Producer. Claire joined The Dallas Morning News as an intern in 2012. She now writes about crime, other breaking news and the Dallas Zoo. She grew up in New Orleans and graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin.